Direction-indicator for automobiles.



V. & 0. S. GILSEY.

DIIIBOTIOII INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1913.

Hillimml Flm mi 'I |||||'I| IIIIIII 1 Hummlm|||||||||||` INV NTOHS /1 ITO/MIE Y S 'UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICE VICTOR GILSEY AND OLIVE S. GILSEY, 0F 'RED BANK, N JERSEY.

DIRECTION -INDICATOBA FOR l.AU'tOll/IOBI-[151175.

Specication of Letters Patent. l .Patented Dee. 22, 1914 Application led May 24, 1913. Serial No. 769,593.

To all 'whomczt may concern.'

county ofMonmouth and State of New Jersey,'have invented a new and I mproved Direction-.Indicator for Automoblles, of which y thefollowing is affull, clear, and exact description. a v

This invention relates to improvements in signal devices and more particularly to an improved direction mdlator for automobiles designed to operate in the rear of a car to warn the chauffeur of an approach# ing car of the 'direction of travel of the preceding car, thus providing an eiliclent means for obviating collisions and acoldents which would otherwise be caused.l

An essential object of the invention resides in the provision of a receptacle d1- :vided into compartments havingr illuminat- 'ing means, preferably in the orm of 1ncandescent lbulbs or lamps, while t-he front of the receptacle is provided with cover. sections including a sign so that by 1gn1t1ng the lamps which are connected in a novel circuit arrangement, certain portions of the sign may be displayed to indicate the stoppage or movements of the car to the right or left independently, or the former wlth either ofthe latter. f

A still further object is to provide a covering of such nature, including a stenciled sign, that the sign characters will not be visible in the sunlight or daytime except when the lamps are ignited, whereas the device will etliciently serve: its purpose in the darkness or night time.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides more particularly in the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts which will be illustrated as a preferred embodiment in the: accompanying drawings and described in the specification.

eference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate vcorresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a receptacle constituting part of a direction indicator for automobiles forming our invention, the cover of the receptacle being broken away to disclose the lam arrangement and the switches for controlling the circuits "being omitted; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. .f3 1s a perspective view of one form of covering'for the receptacle, including a stenciled sign; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the latter on a reduced scale; Fig. 5 is a detail per- -spective view of an arrangement of switches employed for controlllng the circuits; and

Fig. G is a diagrammatic view of the wiring arrangement employed in the device.

As shown in the drawings, the improved direction indicator for automobiles and the like embodies a receptacle 10 of any preferred material and shape but preferably provided with black or dark inner walls 11 and being preferably of rectangular form as illustrated. The receptacle is divided into a plurality` of compartments, preferably three in number and suitably arranged, but shown 1n the present instance as having an upper compartment l2 and a pair of lower compartments 18 and 14 produced by a longitudinal division wall or partition 15 and a. vertical partition 16 connecting-one wall of the receptacle with the partition 15. The receptacle is grooved on three sides, as illusti'ated by the numeral 17, for receiving a covering including a stenciled sign and designed to preclude the characters' of the sign from View both in the day time' and night time -when certain illuminating means provided are extinguished, but adapted to permit such characters to bereadily seen or deciphered when such illuminating means are ignited. This covering in its essential characteristics embodies an opaque plate having characters punched or stenciled therethrough, and an exterior plate of less opaque material designed` to render the characters invisible in yday light but to permit the passage of thevlight rays to render the characters or sign visible when the lamps are ignited, and in the present instance is made up of an inner transparent glass plate or other transparent stifening member 18, outwardly of which is an intensely opaque sign plate 19 through which the characters are punched or stenciled, and in the present instance provided with the indication stop as shown at 20 and with the arrows Q1 and 22 therebeneath indicating the right and left directions of travel of the car, although it is obvious that any other form of indicating means may be provided. Outwardly of the sign plate 19 is a covering of less opaque material, the same in the present instance being indicated in the form of a section 23 Y wire- '26 to the lamps'25,thence tothereturn v w1res 28 and 2 9 tothe batteries. .y Should it,

)of some smoked material ',such as linenftracacter. *Bythis arrangement of covering, it

ing paper, outwardly of which sectionyisa plate of ground glass indited bythe nu-- meral 24, the same being placed one in front of the other to increase the opaque char-r is` found that the characters of the stencil or sign plate are. not visible in day time or in the nighttime when there is an absence of illumination behind the same, but that the characters ofthe Asign will readily appear` uponthe disposition of illumination behind f the samer`Pv 'For this purpose, and yin 'further *carrying out the invention, illuminating f '15 means areprovided inV each of the compartments 12, `13 and 14, the same in the@ compart1nent'12 being indicated in the form of incandescent. bulbs orV lamps which are each joined in circuit 'with a feed wire 26 leading from a single source yof supply indicated ,by the numeral27, the return being f 'made through a conduit 28 anda conduit 29 connected by` a switch for throwing the lamps 25 into and out ofcircuit and thus illuminating the compartment 1&1k orV .vice versa," to expose or hide-the sign indicating v the stoppage of the car as'shown yto be del sired. Disposed in the compartments 13 other convenient place to be operated by the chauffeur, and it wilh-.be seen that when it'is and 14 are incandescent bulbs ory lamps .31 and 32 ,which areY joinedin circuit with` the feed wire 26 byaconduitor conduits-33 'and vwhich have separate leads Bgl'and 35joined to-,the Vreturn wire 29 through a two-point switehincluding the contacts 36 and 37 and the'lswitch point 38, the return .tothe conduit 29 being made through a secondary 39.

be employed is indicated in` Fig.,` 5 of the drawings in which a base 40, is provided to 40 be mounted on nthe steering wheeler at vany desired to'jexpose the stop sign the switch 30 is closed, the ycircuit is traced from the batteries or source of power through the feed be vdesired to illuminate ,.or expose either one vof thev arrows .21 or 22 indicating thel right and left positions or directions of movement of the car, orvdirection .of turning after making a stop or bringing the car to a very slow speed, the switch 30'is retainedwin the",`

lclosed positionand by operating the switch y 38, the switch maybe closed through either back tothe batteries throughzthe "return wir'e29. Y When the switch 38 connectsl with the contact 37 the circuit is traced through the Ylamps 25 in the same mannergthence through the wire 33 to the'lamp 32, the return being made through the conduit- 35, switch 38 connected with the 'contact 37, thence through the 'secondary 39 and return wire 29 to the batteries, and by cutting out the switch 30, either one ofythe` lamps 31 or 32 may be. independently operated to indicate the right andleft positions during the forward or backward movement of the car, independently of thel stop sign.

The covering is fitted 'in the grooves 17v provided at three'sides of the receptacle and communicating with the interior" thereof preferably at the top and bottom edges and one end, and the covering is .held in position by aA catch 41 at the `end ofthe receptacle provided with the openV ortion. n

Having thus describe our invention, we claim as new and ldesire to secureby Letters Patentz- A direction indicator for lautomobiles including a receptacle having a rplurality of sis compartments, illuminating means for saidr compartments, and a covering vfor the receptacle having a sign disposedover each compartment, said covering including an inner transparent plate, a dark sign platej having apertures' forming characters, a section ofopaque material in front of said sign late andra ground glass covering in front 'o the same. v l c In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification-in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VICTOR GILSEY. v OLIVE S. GILSEY. Witnesses: .Y

GEO. W. Pn'mNenR, ROBERT L. KUDER. 

